Google Wave. It was going to be the next killer app. It was going to be the end all be all social network, Interweb, blogotwit thingy that was going to roll over the world like a tsunami. It was going to be the uber productivity and sharing tool. It was going to cure baldness. Technophiles and web dorks around the world anticipated this like it was the release of another episode of Star Wars. Heck, even I drank the Wave Kool-Aide and began evangelizing it’s benefits to friends, colleagues, family, pets, plants, etc.
When I got my beta log in for Wave, I invited a group of guys I knew would appreciate it. My camping buddies. We had a grand old time chatting up sophomoric potty humor, deleting posts on the fly, sharing goofy pictures, etc. That lasted a day and then the novelty wore off. Plus it was a challenge to get everyone onto Wave and coordinating schedules and keeping it from blowing up. Oh, and one guy with a net book was having a really hard time keeping up. I think the smell of smoke pouring out of his computer was the key indicator that it was time to move on. But I kept the faith. I used it for another week and waited for others to join in on the fun. And then….. nothing.
Yes, Wave was pretty cool but it never really caught on with my circle of friends or colleagues. Apparently, that was the case with a lot of people. In a blog post yesterday from Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations, “we don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product”.
I truly hope that the technologies developed for Wave will live on and the name will remain a permanent fixture in the technogeek lexicon. Kinda like how Teflon was accidentally invented by some dude in Jersey back in the 40′s and has continued to keep our frying pans stick free well into the 21st century. Who knows – one day, we may have a Wave equivalent of the Teflon Don. Perhaps the Wave War Lord. A bad guy who can edit your words on the fly and can drag and drop his minions with a click of a mouse. Hmmm…. sounds like a great video game idea…
RIP Wave.
Good to see you’re back….
I tried Wave as well. Was pretty excited to get an invite – So they did that part right. Great marketing with the “insider” theme. But then it got klugy right away. Within 30 seconds I thought, “Man, if I can’t figure this out, how’s the rest of the world going to adopt this?” Not that I’m all that smart…
What do you think? IMHO, anything with more than 3-5 clicks to get started is DOA.
Hey, if you don’t like Microsoft and you don’t like Google, who DO you like? And how about that AON Best of PIMA Award?
Agreed – the interface needed some work before it was ready for prime time. Cest la vie. And for the record, I like Google. I do, however, think they need to slow down and think about what they are buying and releasing to the public. Wave could have been awesome if it were promoted and positioned right. Google and Microsoft tend to have the same draw back in my book – too many technologists, not enough marketers and creative types. This is where Apple shines and I am an even harsher critic of Apple products.
Best of PIMA. Pretty sweet.